It's easy to see what attracted visitors the Charlevoix area of Quebec as far back as 200 years ago, though they wouldn't have known the additional smell of hot brakes as today's travellers wind down stomach-lurching roads into valley settlements.

Not only does the scenery evoke strings of superlatives -- rugged, gorgeous, stunning -- but it has inspired such Canadian painters as Clarence Gagnon, Jean-Paul Lemieux and A.Y. Jackson plus countless other artists, hikers, kayakers, gourmands and history buffs for hundreds of years.

The Charlevoix -- an area that ranges northeast of Quebec City along the St. Lawrence River up to Tadoussac -- is home to the town of La Malbaie that claims to be the first vacation spot in Canada, since Scottish landowners Malcolm Fraser and John Nairn first hosted visitors at their manors in 1760. As word spread, boarding houses, small hotels and eventually the luxurious 350-room Le Manoir Richelieu sprang up, with members of high society arriving by steamship from New York, Toronto and Montreal.

The Charlevoix area was designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1989 and offers such a wide range of activities and areas to explore that you'll want to go back several times to take in all its riches.

Where do you start?

Drive to Quebec City along the north shore and simply keep going northeast along Highway 138, which takes you into the heart of Charlevoix. The drive takes about six to seven hours. As soon as you smell the refreshing salt air, you know you're there. Leave plenty of time to explore the Baie-Saint-Paul area.

Why is Baie-Saint-Paul so special?

For two reasons -- artists and aliens. The village has become an artists' haven, with galleries and workshops entirely out of proportion to its humble population of 4,000. It's a wonderful town to stroll around, with artisans' shops, artisanal foods, lovely inns and even a microbrewery where, on a generous veranda, you can enjoy a meal prepared with beer (Restaurant Le Saint-Pub, www.microbrasserie.com). And it still looks very much like it does in paintings by Clarence Gagnon, done nearly a century ago. Even the Cirque du Soleil had its roots on Baie-Saint-Paul's streets in 1984, before moving to Montreal.

What about the aliens?

Well, it was more like one massive alien, in the form of a 15-billion-tonne meteorite that collided with the Charlevoix about 350 million years ago, changing the geography forever. The crater stretches 56 kilometres across and contributed some alien rock formations, such as shattercones, that are still being uncovered today. It also created gentle, rolling farmlands that form a graceful valley around Baie-St.-Paul.

Cool. Where can we find out more?

Coming down the long, impressively steep highway into Baie-Saint-Paul, we gave our brakes a rest about the half-way mark and stopped at a tourism information centre. The views are splendid, plus there's a small natural history museum with samples of meteorite and detailed explanations of its impact. The crater is among the 10 largest in the world and one of the few that's inhabited. Those with a scientific bent who want to know more can hire a guide at Randonnees Nature-Charlevoix, in Baie-Saint-Paul. The company offers tours of the crater and all kinds of information about its geology, plant and animal life.

Where else should I go?

Well, you shouldn't miss La Malbaie, another pretty town and home to the ritzy Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu and nearby casino. Or Port-au-Persil, which just might be the prettiest spot on the north shore of the St. Lawrence. And, just over the Saguenay River, the lively town of Tadoussac. But some of the loveliest stops aren't in the towns, but along the winding rural roads at cheese shops, artists' studios and farmers' stands. Oh, and spend at least part of a day exploring Isle-aux-Coudres.

Can we camp?

Absolutely! The Charlevoix is home to three of Quebec's most spectacular provincial parks (they call them national parks): Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Riviere-Malbaie, Parc national des Grands-Jardins and, at the eastern boundary of the region, Parc national du Saguenay. These well-developed parks come complete with shuttles to hiking trails, interpretation centres, boat tours and guides.

I hear there's a place to camp where you might even see whales from your tent.

Yes, Mer et Monde is a private campground and ecotourism company with sites on the rocky cliffs right over the St. Lawrence, just east of Tadoussac at Grandes-Bergeronnes. It's not uncommon to wake up to the sound of a whale spouting, or to see a pod of whales swim by at sunset. You can also go on a kayaking expedition. Another well-run private campground we found was Domaines des Dunes, just minutes north of Tadoussac, with lovely wooded sites.

What if I don't want to drive all the way to the Charlevoix the first day?

Many visitors stop their first night near Quebec City, where there are hotels in every price range. You can even camp quite close to the city. We stayed at the neat and tidy Camping Juneau, just a 15-minute drive from the old city walls.

What is there for kids to do?

The Charlevoix area is a natural for kids who enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, kayaking and camping. But there are a couple of great stops for adventurous kids even before you get there.

- Just outside Quebec City, the Valcartier water park has dozens of water slides, from straight to curly, steep to gentle, through rainforests or out of castle walls and even a huge drain-like slide.

- At Mont-Ste.-Anne, about 50 kilometres east of Quebec City, adrenalin junkies will love mountain biking down the ski hills.

- And of course, once in the region, whale watching is popular with all kids, even snarly teenagers who'd rather be home with their friends. Seeing a huge whale surface next to your boat, blowing spray into the air -- even kids realize in some basic way that this is a glimpse into another world.

Where can we go whale watching?

You can take tours out of Baie-St.-Catherine and Saint Simeon, but Tadoussac is the main launching point. Several companies offer cruises from May to mid-October, from big tour boats holding several hundred people down to Zodiacs that hold two dozen. (Rates are typically about $50 for adults and $22 for children, but they vary according to time of day and type of boat.) Experienced kayakers can brave the strong river currents to get up close and personal with their fellow mammals.

Besides Mer et Monde campground, are there other places where you can you see whales from shore?

Definitely. Morning seems to be the best time and a great spot is the rocky promontory called Pointe de l'Islet -- a boardwalk trail departs from just south of the whale-watching boat dock. Another free observation point is the ferry crossing from Baie-Ste.-Catherine to Tadoussac. We had our best close-up view of belugas -- including mothers and their babies -- just three metres off the ferry.

How many kinds of whales are there?

About a dozen marine mammals have been sighted in the Charlevoix area, with belugas and minkes the most common, as well as blue whales, killer whales, fin whales and harbour seals. The Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park protects the whale habitat while Parc national du Saguenay encompasses the land along the Saguenay River and its mouth at the St. Lawrence. A network of excellent interpretive centres offers fascinating facts about the huge creatures that cruise the deep canyons under the deceptively calm waters. After the last Ice Age, belugas got separated from their Arctic cousins and ended up here. Scientists estimate that there were about 5,000 belugas in the Saguenay area in 1885, but now that population is down to somewhere between 1,000 and 1,400. It's stable, but not growing due to environmental problems.

What else is there to see in Tadoussac?

There's a golf course and several historic sites including the oldest wooden chapel and the first fur-trading post in North America. Just north of the village are some magnificent sand dunes, although the interpretive centre there explains that they're not really dunes, which are formed by wind, but rather marine terraces, because they were formed by water after the last glaciers receded. In 1929, people began sand skiing on them, which continued into the 1980s until all the finer sediments had been carried off. We hiked down beside them to river level and peered up, agreeing that it would have been a neat sensation to ski on sand.

Where can we taste the famous cuisine de terroir?

Getting fancy with our terms, aren't we? Cuisine de terroir is a stylish name for an old-fashioned idea: making meals out of what grows, and is raised, nearby. The Charlevoix, with an abundance of dairy, vegetable and animal farms, as well as enthusiastic chefs and luscious orchards, is one of the best places in North America to enjoy this. At Les Saveurs Oubliees at Les Eboulements, for example, you can dine on lamb while looking out the window at the farm where the sheep are raised. At Vices Versa in La Malbaie, you an enjoy foie gras from the nearby La Ferme Basque, or Charlevoix veal. At Auberge Beausejour in St.-Joseph-de-la Rive, menus capitalize on local lamb, trout, cheeses and vegetables.

How can I find all these out-of-the-way eateries and cheese shops?

Easy. Pick up a copy of the Flavour Trail brochure at a tourist information office in the area. It has a map and photos of all 14 producers and 35 restaurants that are dedicated to the bounty of the local land.

Somehow I don't think this cuisine de terroir stuff will wash with my teens ...

If you want to fill them up for the least cost, go to Restaurant Le Bateau in Tadoussac for its all-you-can-eat buffet of hearty Quebecois foods including tortiere, baked beans, pea soup, beef stew, sugar pie and vinegar pie -- and pizza. It's $10 at lunch and about $16 at dinner.

What was that about an island?

Isle-aux-Coudres, discovered by Jacques Cartier in 1535, is a sleepy little island a free, 15-minute ferry ride from Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive (another spectacularly steep downhill descent). It's a great place to cycle, with a stop at the local bakery. And don't miss its star attraction: Cidrerie et Verger Pedneault, where they make great sparkling and ice ciders from apples, pears, plums and berries. Taste some samples and pick up a few bottles to take home to savour with some of the famous Charlevoix cheeses.

What was the most amazing day you had in the Charlevoix?

What was the most amazing day I had all last year? After breakfast and packing a picnic lunch at our campsite at Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Riviere-Malbaie, we made our way to the start of the L'Acropole des Draveurs Trail. It's nine kilometres long, but more significantly, makes a climb of 800 metres -- taking you to a summit that's on the highest cliff east of the Canadian Rockies. We ate our sandwiches looking wa-a-ay down, at a toy river far below. It took about three hours to go up and less than two to come down, then we sat on rocks in the river, in the late-afternoon sun, cooling our swollen feet and enjoying cold beer. For dinner, we drove about 15 minutes, just beyond the campground, to another spot on the Flavour Trail: Auberge Le Relais Des Hautes-Gorges where we dined among fellow hikers on fresh-baked bread and fine cuisine while a pianist played all evening without a single page of music.

What should I take to the Charlevoix?

A jacket -- the breezes off the St. Lawrence mean the region is about 10 degrees cooler than Ottawa or Montreal. Binoculars and a camera, for all those whales. And a cooler, for taking home ice cider from Cidrerie Pedneault, raspberry vinegar and Charlevoix broad beans from Les Jardins de Centre at Les Eboulements, and the award-winning Le Migneron and Le Ciel de Charlevoix cheeses from La Maison d'Affinage Maurice Dufour.